Pure & Simple Christmas Dinner Recipes

For a delicious Christmas dinner, rely on fresh, seasonal, locally grown ingredients. Here, Michel Nischan, a James Beard award-winning chef and Connecticut restaurateur, shares his favorite recipes. Try them all -- or incorporate a few into your traditional holiday meal.

This hearty side dish features rutabaga, two kinds of potatoes, and parsnips with a medley of fresh herbs and leeks. Winter leeks are stronger in flavor and texture than summer leeks -- but any variety from your supermarket will work.

This rich and creamy side dish is versatile: You can combine the roasted chestnuts with pumpkin or your favorite variety of squash. For an extra layer of decadence, top it with homemade molasses cream (see recipe).

This moist cake has a slightly nutty flavor from almond flour and a pleasantly herbaceous lemon-like flavor from Vanilla Bean-Verbena Sugar. After baking, it's cut into slices, buttered, and fried just until toasty-crisp.